More than seven decades after the founding of the law practice that has become Clark Boyce, we are still driven by the traditional values of the early partners. Our ethos is that people are what matters, and that applies as much to our clients as it does to the people who work here.

So let’s turn back the clock and see where it all started.

In 1953, Dave Clark went into partnership with Ken Gough. The practice was commercially focused, dealing mainly in conveyancing, town planning, resource management and trade licensing. Dave was also heavily involved in the community, being instrumental in the establishment of the Christchurch Secondary Schools Council, which, for the first time, gave public schools ownership of their own buildings.

A little later, John Bisphan joined the firm. John was a litigator who was exceptionally strong in family law and matrimonial property, an area we are still deeply involved in today. In the late 60s, John was followed by Martin Boyce, and the name was changed to Clark, Bisphan, and Boyce to reflect the new composition of the firm. When John Bisphan left after being appointed to the Bench, our name changed again, acquiring its current form – Clark Boyce.

Hans van Schreven joined us as a law clerk from the University of Otago in the mid-70’s and became a partner in 1980. Gerald Dwyer joined as a partner in 1982, and Alex McPhail came aboard in the 90’s. The latest additions to our partners are Rachel Walsh and Ollie Bartle – the new generation of talent who are still committed to upholding the values of the firm.

Significant milestones in the history of the firm include the case Mouat vs Clark Boyce, which went all the way to the Privy Council in London, which found in favour of us. We also acted for the employees of the Civic Creche in their action against the Christchurch City Council, and the receivers of PrimeWest where we obtained a landmark decision that laid the groundwork for the responsibility of receivers under New Zealand law.

Clark Boyce has always been a generalist law firm, meaning that we’re perfectly positioned to look after the people who come to us for assistance. We see everyone as individuals, not just another case to be processed through a system.

This ‘people-first’ approach has led to us having many multi-generational clients – families whom we’ve worked with for decades. This continuity of service is extraordinarily gratifying to us as a firm, and is a legacy that we plan to honour in the generations to come.